Banzi Msumi is a Tanzanian global health and organizational development leader with more than 17 years of experience in health systems strengthening, maternal and newborn health, organizational leadership, donor engagement, financial management, grants management, governance, and institutional development. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Thamini Uhai, a Tanzanian non-profit organization dedicated to improving maternal and newborn survival through high-quality, equitable, respectful, and sustainable health services.
Since assuming the Executive Director role in October 2020, Banzi has provided strategic, technical, operational, and financial leadership to Thamini Uhai, strengthening its institutional capacity, governance, partnerships, resource mobilization, and national visibility. He works closely with the Government of Tanzania, including the Ministry of Health and PO-RALG, as well as philanthropic foundations, development partners, professional associations, academic institutions, and communities.
Banzi has played an important role in advancing Respectful Maternity Care, Birth Companionship, Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC), postpartum haemorrhage prevention and management, referral systems, newborn survival, quality improvement, and implementation learning. His leadership has contributed to the institutionalization and scale-up of Birth Companionship as an important component of respectful, woman-centred maternity care in Tanzania.
Before becoming Executive Director, Banzi served as Head of Finance and Operations at Thamini Uhai from 2015 to 2020. He previously held senior finance, compliance, and management positions with Pathfinder International and Chemonics International, Advance Maritime Transport, giving him extensive experience managing donor-funded programs supported by USAID, PEPFAR, CDC, Bloomberg Philanthropies, H&B Agerup Fondation, the European Union, the Gates Foundation, and other partners.
Banzi holds an MSc in Finance from the University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Business Administration and Management (Accounting and Finance) from Uganda Martyrs University. He is particularly committed to building sustainable institutions, strengthening strategic partnerships, and translating health investments into measurable improvements in the survival and wellbeing of mothers and newborns.
Dr. Sunday A. Dominico is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Fellow of the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ECSACOG), and Director of Programs at Thamini Uhai. He serves as President of the Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians of Tanzania (AGOTA) and as a Member of the Secretariat supporting H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, in her role as the African Union Champion for Maternal and Child Health.
He has more than 15 years of experience in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), spanning clinical care, program leadership, implementation research, health systems strengthening, quality improvement, health workforce development and policy advocacy.
Dr. Dominico previously served as Tanzania’s National Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Focal Person at the Ministry of Health, where he led the introduction of the country’s first national virtual MPDSR reviews. He has contributed to the development and implementation of national policies, guidelines and strategies covering antenatal and intrapartum care, comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC), comprehensive post-abortion care (cPAC), respectful maternity care (RMC), adolescent and youth friendly reproductive health (AYFRH), and MPDSR. He has also played a leading role in the national scale up of Birth Companionship.
Dr. Dominico has authored more than 20 peer reviewed publications and presented over 50 scientific abstracts at national and international conferences. He contributes nationally, regionally and internationally as a technical advisor, keynote speaker, panellist, scientific reviewer and jury member.
Mr. Robert Mtunguja is a strategic finance and operations executive with over 20 years of leadership experience spanning international NGOs and United Nations entities in Tanzania. A Certified Public Accountant with a B.Com in Accounting and an MSc in Accounting and Finance, he brings deep expertise in financial management, grants administration, budgeting, and organizational operations.
His career includes senior roles with the UN World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, as well as leadership positions managing multimillion dollar portfolios for USAID funded programs with Americares Foundation, Tetra Tech ARD, and the African Wildlife Foundation. Notably, he led the nationwide implementation of an Integrated Financial Management System across Tanzanian government ministries and local authorities.
At Thamini Uhai, Mr. Mtunguja provides strategic oversight of finance and operations, ensuring fiscal integrity, donor compliance, and operational excellence in advancing maternal and newborn health.